Life of a Rookie
by S. Jackson
Summary: The NYPD is one of the greatest police forces in the world. However, the training could not have prepared Lisandra for the world she would enter.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"So then I told him he was an idiot for making her wait. I mean, those tickets aren't going to show up so easy the next time." Sergeant Michaels squabbled as he and his partner walked the darkened streets of New York's park. His partner replied with a laughed as she twisted her flashlight in her hand. "Well, especially now that the Rangers tickets are so cheap." Sergeant Michaels choked on his coffee and nudged her. "Yeah, yeah, Rookie. Coming from the Midwest, of course you'd be for the Blackhawks."

"Well, who else am I going to be for, Serge? The Avalanche are good, but they're not as good as the Blackhawks I can tell you that much." Sergeant Michaels was about to make a remark in reply, but suddenly a gunshot rang out through the cold night air. They both went on high alert as Sergeant called it in. Another shot rang out followed by two more. "Jesus!" He shouted as they made their way down a ditch that led to the opening of the sewer. There was a body on the ground, a big body, so big it almost didn't look human.

Suddenly, Sergeant slowed down to a stop right before they got to the body. His partner fell to her knees to try and see if the _individual_ was alive. The Sergeant's heart was beating outside his chest as he pulled her back. "Lisandra, I wouldn't."

The rookie looked back at her partner as he narrowed his eyes and shook his head. He held onto her arm as he called into dispatch a number she didn't recognize. After a few minutes of stunned shock and confusion, she looked at her partner as he anxiously paced waiting for a response. "Colin, you need to tell me what's going on." Lisandra's partner didn't answer her question until a muffled reply from the _captain_ came over his radio.

With that, he darted to the body and turned it over. "Damn it, Vince." Sergeant sighed as he turned back to Lisandra who was struggling to breathe, unsure of what she was seeing. It was a man, but not really…it looked more like a monster than a man. The face was not human, but that of a lion. Nothing seemed to make sense right now. Immediately, the Sergeant got to his feet and grasped her shoulders, looking in her eyes. "Lisandra, I need you to help me out here. There's no time to explain right now, but I promise I will."

Lisandra looked from the Sergeant to the body and back to him as she nodded quickly and became flustered. "Sure, sure, yeah." She stuttered as she pushed up her thick rimmed glasses.

At that moment, the Sergeant picked up his legs and Lisandra picked him up at the shoulders. With that, they moved toward the opening of the sewer that was dimly lit.

"Okay, set him down real quick." Sergeant Michaels sighed as they could catch their breath. As he went to grab a rock and began to bang on the pipe in a sort of code that Lisandra didn't understand. Now that they were in the light, she could fully see its facial features, his claws, fangs, hair. However, he didn't look frightening, he looked almost childlike, angelic as he laid there unconscious. She gently reached out to take his hand, somehow reassuring him that he would be safe, it was the cop in her.

Suddenly, the gate opened that led to a tunnel revealing three men in sown together fabrics layered together.

They immediately went to him gently causing Lisandra to move out of the way so they could help him. Picking him up, they hustled through the tunnel with the individual the Sergeant called Vince. The two officers were left at the gate, the Sergeant out of breath and the rookie dumbfounded.

"Can you explain now, Serge?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lisandra's head was spinning as she and the sergeant hurried back to their patrol car to meet the captain at One Police Plaza.

"Sergeant, what was that? Who was that?" The rookie officer babbled as they scrambled to the patrol car. Even though it was Lisandra's second year on the force, she knew enough of her partner's behavior to realize something was bothering him.

When her partner wouldn't answer her, she grabbed his arm roughly and pulled me back. "Damn it, Colin, tell me what's going on!"

That made him stop and give her a shocked and bewildered look, but that subsided. He sighed deeply as he folded his arms on his chest. "I have orders to wait until we see Captain Halstead."

Lisandra grunted in frustration as she lifted her hands. "Colin, you know I'm not really by the books and I know you want to be, but don't hold that against me." She too wrapped her arms on her chest. "Please don't hide things from me."

The sergeant then put his hands up. "Lisandra, it's not like I want to hold this back from you, but this is something that we must discuss with the captain. He knows how to explain it better than I do."

Lisandra sat motionless and nervous in the passenger seat of the cruiser. She had seen plenty of weird things during her time in college, majoring in Criminal Justice, and being on the force, but she had never seen something like this before. That… _thing_ wasn't human. She'd heard stories of weird things in the shadows of New York City, but never believed them to be true. She stroked her cross that was held on her neck. Lisandra believed that God had created everything and everyone in His image, but up until this moment she had expected that only meant humanity. Until now, she did not really even know what to believe.

As quickly as they had left, they appeared at One Police Plaza. Sergeant Michaels reached over and softly took her hand, snapping her back and calming her gently. "I am so sorry that I've worried you, Lisandra, but everything will be explained soon. Trust me." Lisandra nodded squeezing his hand. "With my life, Partner."

The Sergeant smirked as he turned to open his door. "Of course the rookie I get stuck with is a ridiculous softy."

She nudged him in reply as they got out of the car, got in the elevator, and reached to their floor, where the captain met them. Immediately upon seeing him, they saluted as a sign of respect and duty.

"As you were." The redheaded captain answered. Lisandra pushed up the rim of her glasses on her nose as she relaxed, the captain following suit and pushing up his gold rimmed glasses and held out his hand to Lisandra. "I hope you can forgive me for never formally introducing myself, Officer Ventetti. However, I've heard good reports from your partner here." She took the captain's hand firmly in hers, shaking it gently. She then turned to her partner who replied with a smirk. "No, Sir, those were all lies." The Sergeant replied sarcastically. The captain chuckled for a moment, but before Lisandra could get a reply back to her partner, the captain cleared his throat. "My office, shall we?" The two officers nodded, removing their caps and sitting in front of his desk as the captain shut the door.

He instantly folded his hands together and placed them under his chin. "First, is Vincent all right?"

The sergeant straightened in the chair as he addressed his superior officer. "I believe so, Sir. He's probably being taken care of by Father. I'm sure of it."

"His wounds weren't severe, were they?"

"Not that I could see, Sir. They were flesh wounds, but there were at least six of them. I can check on him after our meeting, if you would like."

The captain nodded. "Yes, please do that."

Hearing the two men talk about something she knew nothing about made Lisandra feel a whirlwind of confusion and frustration. Internally she was screaming to know what the heck was going on.

The captain turned to Lisandra and took a deep breath, putting his hands on the table. "The _man_ you found in the park with Sergeant Michaels has been a friend of the department's for a very long time. His name is Vincent; he lives underground in a community with other people."

Lisandra blinked at this information. "He lives underground? Why?" However, once she had said that, her stomach dropped, she already knew the answer. The captain lowered his gaze as he admitted to what she had already known. "His appearance is something the public would not understand. We know that better than anyone." Lisandra nodded softly, which allowed the captain to continue. "His community needs people who live up here to help them survive. So, you must understand that people who don't understand found out about this community, it would be devastating to them."

Both men were looking at her directly now, and she felt quite vulnerable under their gazes. "No, of course, Captain. I will not tell anyone what I saw. I don't think I can forget it, but I won't say anything."

The Captain straightened and looked at the both of them. "Very well then, I'll hold you to your word Officer Ventetti." Standing, he dismissed them. "Sir." The two replied as they saluted him and left his office.

Lisandra was so confused. She honestly did not know what to think. "Hey, you ok Partner?"

The rookie looked back at him and fumbled with her curly blonde ponytail, laying it over her left shoulder. "I can't seem to shake what I saw, Serge. I've seen crazy shit before, we all have, but this….this is a bit much."

"Why?" The sergeant simply asked as they got towards the basement to end their shifts, each standing at the entrances of their locker rooms.

His reply was so subtle and simple, it took Lisandra by surprise. "I just…I grew up with things like _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ , _Phantom of the Opera, Gargoyles_ …all stories of creatures, humanoids, living in the recesses of New York City."

Her partner tried to hide a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. "So you joined the NYPD just to fulfill your nerd dreams? I expected more out of you, Rookie."

She scoffed and nudged him as he laughed. "I'm serious Serge! I never even thought that there could be things down there, things that are supposed to be made up, stories." Again, Lisandra clutched her cross, rubbing her finger across it to calm her down.

Sergeant Michaels saw her doing this and his expression changed to gentle compassion. "It took me at least a week to even process what was going on. I was so confused and so lost, I didn't know what to do." He then smiled as if remembering a fond memory. "It wasn't until I went down there for the first time and met the people in the community that I really comprehended the magic and wonder of the place." The sergeant's expression was something Lisandra had never really seen before. He looked almost entranced with happiness, peace. "There's this atmosphere there that we hardly ever get here. They have a tremendous feeling of safety that I've never felt before. Makes me realize that what I am doing as a police officer is actually making sense."

After a few moments of silence, he placed his hand on Lisandra's shoulder. "Let me take you down there. Introduce you to everyone. I have to check on Vincent anyway."

The young rookie smiled warmly at her partner, but shook her head. "Thanks, Serge, but I need a while to sort this stuff out. Spiritually." Lisandra was still stroking her cross as Sergeant Michaels put up his hands. He wasn't an overly religious man, heck the only time he prayed to God was when his sports teams were having trouble (especially the Mets and the Yankees), but he appreciated how much it meant to Lisandra.

"Fair enough, fair enough." He tilted his head in acceptance, but looked back into her eyes. "Whenever and ifever you want to come with me, I'm happy to take you."

Lisandra patted her partner's chest as she turned to go into the girl's locker room. "I'll hold you to that, Serge."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Lisandra got in her car, she was met with wonderfully soothing music from the radio. She smiled as she let the lyrics of the music sooth her thoughts and troubled heart. She had always grown up in a Christian home, but there was something missing and she couldn't understand why. Her parents were Roman Catholic, so naturally she went along with the idea of being Catholic. However, that wasn't fulfilling enough for her; she wanted more out of her faith. It took her almost twenty three years, but she had accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and understood that what He had done on the cross was to save her from a lifetime of pain. Sure, there were hard times that she went through, it wasn't supposed to be flowers and rainbows all the time, but those cloudy and dark days were made easier now that she had put Jesus first in her life. She had someone to turn to who understood and could comfort her through those moments and even though she couldn't see Him, it was enough for her to be overwhelmingly content with life.

As she drove to where she needed to be at the moment, she realized that the radio was playing a song that helped her realize that this situation was totally something that she could give to God and He would help reassure her that everything would be all right:

 _I will lift my eyes to the Maker  
Of the mountains I can't climb  
I will lift my eyes to the calmer  
Of the oceans raging wild  
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes  
To You_

Parking her car and turning it off, Lisandra sighed happily as she let the music and its words swell through her. Even though she was nervous and confused at what she saw, she knew that if God had decided to create someone like Vincent, it was not in vain. She turned off the radio and pulled opened her door as she walked up the church steps towards the front door. The night was crisp, but not bitter. It was refreshing. Lisandra was surprised to find the front doors unlocked, this being a new church and all. However, the alarm was not going off. Lisandra slowly opened the door to see that the church was only lit by the watery blue light of the stain glass, with a mix of red and yellow. Lisandra gently shut the door behind her, making sure to not make any noise just in case someone may be here. Lisandra kept the weight off the balls of her feet as she made her way down the aisle. As she approached the front of the church, she could see that candles were lit on either side of the stage. The candles were a warm backdrop to the cross that was lit against the wall. It was a stunning sight to behold if she was not so preoccupied with being on alert for an intruder. Lisandra gingerly touched her gun as she made her way up the side steps of the stage, going to see if anyone was back stage. As she reached the top step, someone flashed a flashlight on her, blinding her for mere seconds.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" She heard a man ask. Lisandra turned to block her eyes, but drew her gun as he pulled down the light. "Woah, woah take it easy!"

"I'm Officer Ventetti, NYPD." Lisandra stated plainly, wishing her eyes would hurry up and adjust to the darkness.

"Officer? I didn't call 911."

"Let me see your hands." She stated authoritatively, descending the steps and standing a foot from him.

The man slowly turned off his flashlight, put it on the nearest pew, and lifted his hands. "All right, Officer, but let me see your badge." He stood straight; his broad shoulders seemed to lengthen.

Lisandra slowly walked towards him, her gun still drawn as she turned behind him. Her heart was beating at least miles a minute. Lisandra hadn't drawn her gun yet out on the field and by all accounts she was absolutely petrified. Her whole body had broken out into a full sweat, her heart was beating so fast and loud that she could have sworn she could hear it echo throughout the church, and her mouth became so dry she had wondered for a moment if her tongue was going to dry up. As she got closer to him, she offered her badge putting it closer to his face so he could see she was legitimate. Upon seeing that she was indeed an officer of the law, he was content to follow her orders as she instructed him to put his hands on the stage which was a little raised so it helped her keep an eye on them. He did as she commanded and she began to simply pat him down. After she had finished that, finding nothing, she asked him if he had anything in his pockets that could harm her, such as a knife, needle, or gun. He again obliged, allowing her to search in his jean pockets, under the waist of his jeans, and his ankle socks. Finding nothing, she asked him to sit on the pew, his hands still behind him. Sitting down, the man looked up at her, calm as could be.

She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head looking at him. "Mind telling me what you're doing here at two o'clock in the morning?"

He smiled calmly as he too tilted his head to her. "I'm the pastor here. I was working late on a new worship set and the sermon for Sunday. That stuff takes a lot longer to plan than people realize." The pastor straightened again in the pew, looking right in her eyes. "Can I ask the same thing of you, Officer?"

Lisandra was caught off guard by the sharp greenness of the pastor's eyes. They were a true green, something you could only see in nature and no one else could recreate. They were the definition of green. Blinking back to reality, Lisandra cleared her throat and took a step back.

"My apologies, Pastor. I was just coming off work and decided to pop in and get some of my anxieties out in a place where I knew God would be."

The pastor smiled a broad, loving smile that made Lisandra's breath catch in her throat. "You know, I may not be a priest, who is known to accept confessions, but I can still listen to problems. Want to talk about what's bothering you?" The pastor kept the look on his face and Lisandra was totally taken in. His eyes bore into her and his smile was pulling her in. Following a few moments of awkward silence, Lisandra cleared her throat again. "No, thank you, Pastor. I'm quite all right to just talk about it with God."

He slowly stood, unsure if he could or not, his smile becoming smaller. "Of course, that's fine." He extended his hand gently. "Please call me Pastor Jameson."

Lisandra softly shook his hand. "Lisandra."

Now that he was standing, Lisandra got a good look at him in the light of the stain glass. He was about six foot, his hair was a tidy patch of black and gray atop his head that was combed straight and spiked a bit in front. His jaw was a strong and well defined square, his facial feature of a beard the same color of his hair, resting upon it. He wore a buttoned up blue and yellow plaid shirt that was tucked into dark navy jeans that were tied together with polished brown shoes.

Pastor Jameson tilted his head towards Lisandra, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lisandra. I don't think I've seen you here before, did you just find this church on your way home and decide to pop in?"

"No, I have been coming to this church for a while; I just haven't had the time to come on Sundays. I know that probably isn't the best, but when you're on call 24/7, you tend to miss out on things you enjoy."

Pastor Jameson smirked. "Oh, I know how that goes, believe me. However, I'm doing God's work so that is enough to bring me joy."

Lisandra couldn't help but smile at his reply. This man truly seemed genuine for the church and God's people. It was a shame she couldn't get here as often as she'd like.

"Would you like me to leave you alone with God?" Pastor Jameson asked again after another bout of silence.

"Oh, um, sure that'd be fine." Lisandra stammered as she made her way to a pew to sit down.

"Awesome, stay as long as you'd like. I'll be in my office down the aisle, to the right, through some doors that leads to another door that opens to my office." Pastor Jameson humorously explained.

Lisandra laughed as she nodded to him. "Ok, I got that."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement towards her and made his way back to his office.

Now that Lisandra was in her own silence, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and relaxed. She bowed her head and began to pray.

"Father, thank You so much for this opportunity to serve the people and protect them. I am truly overwhelmed with Your love and guidance through this journey. Even in less than the two years I have worked here, I can feel that I have made an impact on people's lives. I thank You for that."

She raised her hands up to about her shoulders as she continued to pray. "Father, help me with my emotions that I have to what I saw this evening. I know everything is made by You and by Your design, but this _person_ was something I was not prepared for. Father, I feel as if now that I have seen him like this I will be seeing him more often. Please give me the strength to look beyond appearance and to his heart as the human being You created him to be."

Lisandra took a deep breath as her prayers drew on. "Father, I pray for Vincent, that he may heal and make a full recovery. I pray that the ones who caused him harm will be caught and brought to justice in Your timing. Father, I also pray for the people in the world Below. That Your hand would be upon them, protect them, and keep them safe from whatever the enemy has planned to cause them problems up here and down there."

"Lastly, Father, I want to pray for the safety of myself, my partner, and any other officers that you have called for this journey. Protect us, keep us safe from the evil one of this world and keep us grounded in why we are doing what we have been called to do. I ask this in Your Son's most holy name, Amen."

Lisandra let out a long sigh as she sat in God's presence for a moment longer. This feeling of God surrounding her could not be recreated. It was a beautiful mix of happiness, peace, happiness, and love. This was the perfect moment to pray in.

Lisandra then made her way towards Pastor Jameson's office. She gently knocked on the door frame, peeking her head in the open room. "I'm leaving, Pastor."

His head perked up quickly, something Lisandra wasn't expecting, and smiled widely. "All right. Hope you got everything you needed to get."

Lisandra smiled and nodded. "He always speaks to me when I am willing to listen."

The pastor chuckled deep in his throat as he walked her to the doors. "Yes, you're absolutely right."

"I apologize again for pulling my gun on you." Lisandra said embarrassingly as she descended the stairs to her parked car.

The pastor snickered. "Oh, don't worry about that! I'm sure I'll get a lot more of those as time goes on. Have a safe night, Officer! See you Sunday!"

Lisandra turned her head to wave to him, smiling widely. It made her feel good that he was looking forward to seeing her Sunday, whether she had time to come to church or not.

With Lisandra in her car driving off, the pastor's smile quickly dissipated and he went back in the church to blow out the candles on the stage.

"Yes, she'll do perfectly."


End file.
